Monster Attack Network

Slated for a July release, the upcoming Monster Attack Network graphic novel deals with the fictional island of Lapuatu, a place where ginormous, rampaging horrors are commonplace enough to warrant a government-funded tactical response and clean-up crew to deal with the problem. I found a little blurb online about the series from one of writers, Marc Bernardin:

“What is Monster Attack Network about? Well, the genesis came from watching too many Saturday afternoon movies as a kid. They were always one of two things: kung-fu movies or Godzilla movies. I watched dozens of them, multiple times. Even the one with Godzooki, Godzilla's human-sized kid. (Yeah, I know.) I had forgotten how wonderfully cheesy those movies were until I caught one on cable a few years ago. And my mature self wondered, "These giant monsters keep on attacking Tokyo and every time they get there, the city is sparkling, shiny, and all but beckoning to be trampled on. Who keeps rebuilding Tokyo?"

Our book is set on the fictional Pacific island of Lapuatu, which is lousy with giant monsters in the same way that California is lousy with mudslides and wildfires and the midwest is lousy with tornados. As a result, Lapuatu's governing body has established the Monster Attack Network, a mix between the Office of Emergency Management, paramedics, and FEMA. They manage the crisis and rebuild afterwards. Our lead character, Nate, runs MAN and takes the job very seriously. Too seriously, probably. His No. 2, Zeke, is the dapperest black guy in all of the Pacific... and really handy with a forklift. Our mysterious femme is Lana, a newcomer to both the island and MAN. And there's a bad guy, and a giant octopus, and human sacrifice, and salty language… you know, for the kids.”

While this all sounds cool, I’m afraid that I have to dock Mr. Bernardin a couple of points for the common error that a lot of folks make with regards to mistakenly referring to “Minya” (the infant version of Godzilla from the Toho films) as “Godzooky” (the annoying, winged “sidekick” monster that appeared in the 70's Hanna Barbera Godzilla cartoon series). Shame on you, sir.